Home > About Us > Our Areas of Focus > Policy Advocacy

Policy Advocacy

We advocate for national and state policies that build care coordination between medical and social services for older adults into public programs that are sustained by a qualified workforce.

National Level

SWLI is the co-organizer with the American Society on Aging (ASA) of the National Coalition on Care Coordination (N3C). [internal hyperlink to “Our WorkCare Coordination”] N3C brings together key experts from a broad array of organizations involved in aging care that seek to advance models of care that will improve health and social services for older adults and their caregivers. The purpose of N3C is to build consensus among stakeholder organizations and to advocate for enactment of public policies that support care coordination, effectively linking health and long term care on behalf of vulnerable populations of older adults.

SWLI is also a member of the national Eldercare Workforce Alliance, which is working to strengthen the geriatric skills of all health professionals, increase recruitment and retention of geriatric specialists, and improve the way care is delivered.

State Level

SWLI is partnering with the New York State Department of Health and the State Office on Aging to develop a successful blueprint for improving older adult care in New York State. As part of this process, we are analyzing care models nationwide and engaging social workers, nurses, doctors, and other service providers and consumers in roundtable discussions to build consensus for standards for comprehensive care coordination and a qualified workforce to deliver that care. This model process is already being replicated by other states nationwide.

SWLI has also partnered with the California Social Work Education Center (CalSWEC), the nation's largest state coalition of social work educators and practitioners, to address the shortage of geriatric social workers in the Golden State, including organizing a statewide legislative hearing on the issue, affecting legislation that would extend loan forgiveness for aging care professionals, and exploring scholarships, stipends and other incentives to attract students to the field. This work has provided a platform for similar initiatives in other states.